Talk:Ghastly Gorge/@comment-68.154.32.99-20140614023800/@comment-24353761-20141006192944
That's more or less how I did it with my unicorn (though instead of Piercing Beam, I switched between Rock Wrecker (for horrifying direct damage) and Dark Rift (which devours enemy projectiles and spam-slaps any Diamond Dogs caught in it; Fido is particularly vulnerable to getting ravaged by Dark Rift). I too kept Vol Grando and Globus slotted all the time; Globus can be devastating in a room that small, and Vol Grando is even more punishing than Rock Wrecker is at close range (with the added perk that Vol Grando can easily block projectiles). You can't do any of this if you're playing an Earth Pony, of course. When I beat the Diamond Dogs with my Earth Pony, I had the most success going straight at Fido right off the bat; smack Rover and Spot if they get too close, but otherwise stick to Fido until he's dead. Since Fido's the tallest of the three Diamond Dogs, furiously spamming Drop Kick onto Fido's head will do wonders at keeping you safe from most attacks (including Rover's gem toss, Rover's dive, Spot's tunnel trap and Spot's pebble toss). Just be ready to Slide Kick out of there the moment Fido winds up for his rockfall attack; it's not listed under Abilities, but Down + Jump does either a Drop Kick when you're in the air or a Slide Kick when you're on the ground, so all you need to do is twitch just far enough to get off of Fido's head and hit the floor to escape. Slide Kick is also useful for getting out of corner traps, which are a routine threat when you're fighting three DIamond Dogs. Keep two or three Skill weapons handy: Boomerang (great against Rover and Fido, not so much against Spot), Axe (good against Spot when he's in the ceiling) and Dragon Fire (which is ruinous to Fido but also fairly useful against Rover and Spot (but only when Spot's on the floor or digging under it). Even though it's not my foremost pick, Tome is also a good secondary weapon; if you're good with timing, just fire off a Tome the very moment you're Drop Kicking Fido in the head for sweeter damage. As with unicorns, all of your earth pony's skills should be maxed. And as always, the earth pony's choice of main weapon is also important. Placing Fido between yourself and Rover will allow you to hit Fido and deflect Rover's gems at the same time, especially if you're wielding a longsword or a whip. If you're wielding a star flail or a confodore, don't depend so much on your Skills and spend your MP on Critical Arts instead; step back out of harm's way when Rover's doing his dive attack, then punish him with a Critical Art the moment he lands. Critical Art specials are also handy against Fido, of course; he's a pretty durable dog, so dishing out more damage with each attack is always a good thing. And don't bother trying to Uppercut Spot when he's in the ceiling; you'll hit him, but he'll also hit you the moment you come out of the Uppercut, and he'll hit you a lot harder than your Uppercut hit him. Instead, equip a whip, jump and Uppercut the ceiling about an inch or two away from Spot; then, while you're still holding Up from the Uppercut, attack. If you're quick enough, your whip will strike upward and hit Spot, and he won't be able to thump you in return. If you save Spot for last (like the smart players do), just keep doing this until Spot gets tired of getting flogged and drops to the floor, then tear into him with whips, swords, Dragon Fire or what-have-you. Be careful about Slide Kicking Spot; you're likely to get stuck in one of his tunnel traps. Otherwise, just rinse and repeat until Spot's dead and you emerge the victor.